Snow Fleas are not fleas
at all, but a type of insect called a springtail.
Springtails get their name because they have two long things
that look like tails sticking from their abdomen
(back body section). The "tails" can fold under the body and
are held by two hooks under the body. When the springtail
releases the hooks, the insect goes flying in the
air.

Snow Fleas are very
small, about 1/16 inch long. They are dark blue, have short
antennae,
and have two eye clusters (with 16 eyes in each).

Snow Fleas, and other
springtails, live in soil, leaf
litter,
mosses,
fungi,
and along shores of ponds. Sometimes they can be found on
the surface of ponds. Since they are so light, they can walk
on the surface without sinking.

Snow Flea nymphs will eat and
grow. As they grow they will shed their outer skin (called an
exoskeleton).
Each time they molt,
they will look a little bit more like an adult Snow Flea. By Winter,
all the nymphs have turned into adults.

During very cold Winter days, Snow
Fleas are not very active. But if it warms up, Snow Fleas will become
active and look for food. They may even crawl out onto the surface of
snow. This is how Snow Fleas get their name. People notice large
amounts of them, like black dust, around the base of a tree. They are
usually there when there isn't snow too, as long as the temperature
is warm enough; you just see them better on a white
background.

Predators
of Snow Fleas, and other springtails, include: beetles, ants, mites,
centipedes, and other small insect-eaters.

People may not realize it, but
Snow Fleas, and all springtails, are very important. They are
decomposers,
and help break down old dead plant matter and other items in the
soil. After the springtails are done with them, plants can pull the
nutrients
back from the soil and use them to grow. Then, people and other
animals can use the plants. Springtails are an important part of
nature's cycle.